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J. L. MOTT, OF MOTT HAVEN, NEW YORK.

ROADWAY FOR RAIL-CARS AND ORDINARY VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 7,657, dated September 17, 1850.

To all whom. may concern.'

Be it known that I, JORDAN L. MoTT, of Mott Haven, in the county of)Westchester and State of New York, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Roadways for Railroad and other CarriagesEspecially Intended for the Streets of Cities, and that the following isa full, clear, and eXact description of the principle or character whichdistinguishes my invention from all other things before known and of themanner of making, constructing, and using the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, making part onf this specification, inwhich- Figure l is a plan of my improved road Way, and Fig. 2 a crossvertical section thereof, and Fig. 3 a cross vertical section of amodification of my improvement.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

The object of my invention is to make the rails or road ways for streetsso that they shall be equally adapted to the running of railroad carshaving flanched wheels as to common carriages, drays, carts &c.

As rails have heretofore been laid down in streets they either presenttoo great and too abrupt an elevation above the road way for thecrossing of common carriages, or else the fianches of railroad carwheels must run in grooves which are very soon filled up with mud andstones. And from the slight difference in the gage of railroad cars andcommon carriages, the wheels of the latter run by the side of, and dogreatinjury to the rails and the roadway by the side thereof. l/Vit-hthe view to remedy these evils- The nature of my invention consists inmaking the rails each with a curved or trough-like projection outwardand downward from the upper and outer edge of the rail and incombination therewith, to the level of the edge of which projections theroad way is to be paved--the said projections of the rail being agradual curve or inclined plane from the upper edge of the rail, thatthe wheels of common carriages may pass over the rail with facility, andwhen running thereon may have a tendency by reason of the inclined orcurved face and the weight of the carriage to descend from the rail, andthus at the same time keep-the other wheel from the inner edge of theother rail, if t-he gage of the carriage be the same or nearly the sameas that of the rails, and if it be of a wide gage that the two wheels inrunning thereon may straddle the rails and run on the outside of both.

My invention also consists in making the inner edge of the rail with aninclined or trough-like projection in combination with the above mode ofmaking the projection on the outer edge.

In the accompanying drawings (a, a,) represent two longitudinal sleeperswhich may be made of wood or other substance to the upper surface ofwhich are bolted iron plates (I), 2),) which I prefer to make of castiron of suitablelengths. These plates are formed with rails (c, 0,) theinner edges of which are of suficient vertical projection for theflanches of railroad wheels (d, Z,) and the outer edges are gradualcurves (e, 6,) from the outer edge of the upper face of the rails, thusforming broad trough-like faces on which the wheels (see dotted lines f,f,) of common carriages of wide gage run. The curves of these outsidefaces are such that by reason of the weight of common carriages runningon them, the wheels will always have a tendency to run clear of therails (c, 0,) intended for the car wheels. From the lower part of theinner edge of the rails, the plates are formed with trough-likeprojections (g, g,) in which one of the wheels (in) (see dotted lines)of common carriages of narrow gage run, the other wheel running on theoutside of the other rail; by reason of the curved faces of these partsthe wheels run clear of the rails.

I contemplate in some instances making the plates each in two parts asrepresented in Fig. 3, one overlapping the other, and both firmlysecured by bolts or spikes passing through them and t-he sleepers, andif desired the better to secure their relative position, they may becast each with projections on the under faces let into sockets in thesleepers.

For the purpose of retaining theplates forming the two sides of thetrack in their proper relative positions I contemplate connecting themby wrought iron cross bars which pass through holes in the plates andare secured either by nuts or riveting.

The road way (j, j, j,) between the plates and outside of them can bepaved or otherwise prepared to the level of the upper surface of theedges of the plates.

On inspecting the drawings it will be seen by the red lines crossing thetrack that by reason of the projections of the plates on each side ofthe rails that the wheels of common carriages can cross the track Withfacility, the surface of the rails and the outer and inner edges of theplates constituting general planes of very. slight inclinationpresenting little obstruction to the passage of the Wheel.

The two parts of my invention may be applied separately but I prefer theemployment of the two parts of my invention in connection.

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentis- 1. The method substantially as herein de- JORDAN L. MOTT.

Witnesses:

CHS. M. KELLEY, C. A. WM. BROWNE.

